Red Violin Concerto | Joshua Bell | A Fiddle of Infinite Jest

Red Violin Concerto | Joshua Bell | A Compelling Recording of Corigliano's "The Red Violin" Violin Concerto for Joshua Bell

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Red Violin Concerto

	Red Violin Concerto Joshua Bell SONY CLASSICS, 2007 average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Bell began taking violin lessons at the age of four after his mother discovered her son had taken rubber bands from around the house and stretched them across the handles of his dresser drawer to pluck out music he had heard her play on the piano. His parents got him a scaled-to-size violin for their then five-year-old son and started giving him lessons. A bright student, Bell took to the instrument but lived an otherwise normal midwest Indiana life playing video games and excelling at sports, namely tennis and bowling, even placing in a national tennis tournament at the age of ten. Bell studied as a boy first under Mimi Zweig, then switched to Josef Gingold after assurances from Bell's parents that they were not interested in pushing their son in the study of the violin but simply wanted him to have the best teacher for their son's abilities. Satisfied that the boy was living a normal life, Gingold took Bell on as his student and to this day, Bell speaks of Gingold fondly as a great teacher and mentor. At the age of fourteen, Bell appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti. He studied the violin at the Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, while managing to graduate from Bloomington High School North in 1984, a year ahead of schedule.

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A Fiddle of Infinite Jest

Forty years passed between the composition of Corigliano's "Sonata for violin and Piano" (1963) and the Red Violin Concerto premiere in 2003. The two works are very different in scope and scale, but to my ears they have a lot in common. I don't guarantee that I could recognize a previously unheard piece of music instantly as Corigliano's, but I'd be willing to try. In his notes for this CD, Corigliano says: the sonata is "for the most part a tonal work, although it incorporates non-tonal and poly-tonal sections within it, as well as other 20th-century harmonic, rhythmic and construction techniques. The listener will recognize the work as the product of an American writer, although this is more the result of an American writing music than writing 'American' muisc -- a second-nature unconscious action on the composer's part." Gosh and golly, John, I think you may be optimistic about most listeners, but I hear what you mean. The great Czech composer Leos Janacek described his own efforts to shape his music, even instrumental, to the sound of the Czech language; most serious performers and listeners have agreed that he succeeded. This sonata by the young Corigliano sounds a lot like similar works by Janacek, except that the melodic language IS different and DOES sound like Americam English in some subjective manner that I can't quite define. I hear a slangy, sarcastic, but tender American voice in the phrases of the violin. I like this piece of music, and I appreciate the pairing of youthful and mature compositions on this CD.

Joshua Bell is a thrilling performer. I can't compare his playing of these two compositions to anyone else's, since I haven't heard any other, but Bell clearly has the bowing technique to meet any eccentic demands of the music. The 4th Movement "Accelerando Finale" of the Concerto calls for very violent bowing, incorporating the fiddle into the overall percussion texture of the music. It makes a witty and vigorous conclusion for a showy concerto.

The nucleus of the Red Violin Concerto is music that Conigliano composed for a film, which I haven't seen. Since I enjoy the Concerto thoroughly, I guess I'll rent the film.

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A Compelling Recording of Corigliano's "The Red Violin" Violin Concerto for Joshua Bell

If you happen to be among the many who greatly treasure Joshua Bell's expressive, lyrical style of playing (myself included), then you'll find much to rejoice in this recently released recording of composer John Corigliano's "The Red Violin" concerto for violin and orchestra. It's a fascinating four movement work which opens with a long Chaconne that's replete with extremely demanding phrasing from Bell's violin; observant fans may recognize that it was an important part of Corigliano's original movie score for the film of the same title, featuring Bell's energetic rhapsodic playing as the Red Violin's "voice". Moreover, it is a film score that seems to have some elements in common with the somewhat atonal film score that Corigliano composed for the film "Altered States"; the atonal aspects seem to be emphasized via percussion in each of the succeeding movements after the Chaconne (first movement). Recorded back in 2003 at the world premiere live concert debut, this work also features excellent playing from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under the baton of its now current music director, Marin Alsop.

Rounding out this recording is a spirited performance of an early Corigliano work dating from the early 1960s, the Sonata for violin and piano. In stark contrast with Corigliano's recent work like the violin concerto, this is a musically enticing work that represents his early interest in tonal music. It also is a splendid piece that underscores the close collaboration Bell has had with his frequent accompanist, pianist Jeremy Denk. Without a doubt, fans of both Corigliano's music and Bell's sterling musicianship will want to add this fine CD to their collections.

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Meet John Corigliano, an extraordinary contemporary composer, and Joshua Bell, the great violinist

You may have overheard at some party the following or a similar comment coming from a self-proclaimed music expert: "I only listen to Beethoven and the real music. The contemporary composers just don't cut it". Then somebody asks: "Which contemporary composers do you have in mind?" The answer follows: "They are all so bad that I don't even remember their names". I shall spare you my pontification that there is a difference between ignorance (not all of us are familiar with all the composers) and stupidity (the refusal to get educated). Instead, I make a claim that even the staunchest haters of the contemporary composers will cave in to John Corigliano, if they only let themselves be exposed to his music. After hearing his music, they will be swept of their feet and they will never forget his name! John Corigliano is one of the most distinguished contemporary composers and has received all major awards, which you can find listed on Google. After hearing his compositions on this CD you will understand why these awards are given to him. It also becomes clear that these compositions will survive our times. Give yourself a chance to participate in the musical present and the future! This is not to say that you should dump all dead composers whom you love so dearly, just add somebody who is alive!

Maestro Joshua Bell excels in his hauntingly beautiful performance. The violin part is stunningly beautiful, and the performance does it justice. In a mix of unprecedented virtuosity and a sublime interpretation, Maestro Bell affirms that he is one of the best.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, with Marin Alsop conducting, was great. It is difficult to choose between all great moments, but I especially liked the orchestral drama and the hell which was raised by the percussions (I have not been so excited about the percussions since I heard Carmina Burana).

The notes that accompany this CD are written masterfully by John Corigliano, who clearly also has a great talent of communicating with the listeners via the written words. He talks about his father, a very prominent violinist, and how he came to appreciate violin and its technical difficulties by listening to his father. Then he explains how he used the Baroque device of a chaconne (a repeated pattern of chords) to structure the red violin concerto. He offers further insights into his music, which will guide the listener to pick up and identify various innovative elements.

As an overall experience, one cannot escape the excitement that one has witnessed the greatness of Corigliano as a composer, and a great symbiotic relationship with Joshua Bell, with the result that 2+2 is more than 4!

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A nice addition to the genre of movie-score concertos

Before Corigliano, the genre of crossover concerto was occupied by Miklos Rosza and Korngold, both of whom applied lush, easy to assimilate music familiar from Hollywood movies. I loved the music to "The Red Violin," and unlike its predecessors, the Red Violin Concerto actually adapts a film score. The new version is a fusion of the haunting melody that recurred throughout the film with modernist orchestral turns, most of which can be found in previous Corigliano scores like his wildly popular Sym. #1 on the theme of AIDS.

I'm not sure the hybrid is better than the original, but the point is moot -- Joshua Bell's authoritative performance sweeps away all objections, for many fans at least, and in their debut CD, Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Sym. give their all. The BSO hasn't made a commercial recording in eight years, and they sound first-rate. If only they had been recorded under the great Russian maestro, Yuri Temirkanov, who served as music director for a few brief years. Sony's sonics are breathtaking in their impact and dynamic range, so all in all, this is a successful crossover enterprise. Personally, however, I find more enjoyment from the film score, which has no pretensions to being concert-hall music and therefore contains a much higher romantic swoon factor.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Tracks
The Red Violin Concerto; I. Chaconne | The Red Violin Concerto; II. Pianissimo Scherzo | The Red Violin Concerto; III. Andante Flautando | The Red Violin Concerto; IV. Accelerando Finale | Sonata for Violin and Piano; Allegro | Sonata for Violin and Piano; Andantino | Sonata for Violin and Piano; Lento | Sonata for Violin and Piano; Allegro

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